Saturday, November 16, St. John Paul Family Hall was decorated with American flags, and red, white and blue flowers in honor of our veterans. The third Annual Veterans dinner was a momentous occasion. Amongst the attendees that evening, 35 veterans attended the event with their families and friends. They were all recognized for their service.

The event was eloquently emceed by Mrs. Elise Kazanjian. Veterans Mr. George Atashkarian, Mr. Richard Demirjian and Dr. Dikran Chamlian shared their reflections on military service. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, Parish Priest of St. Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland, also spoke about his mandatory service in the Armenian Army as a  and concluded his presentation by singing a  beautiful song dedicated to the veterans.

We are proud to announce that $4,310 was raised for this year's veteran's charity, the Fisher House Foundation.  The program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

We salute all of our veterans for their sacrifice and service. Also we honor their families and their loved ones for what they have done.